I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Displacement

Essential Question:

Why was the Cherokee Nation displaced by the U.S. Government and has their culture survived?

Bridge:

Having No Choice

Content:

The Story of the Cherokee Tribe

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Overview: Why is this happening to me? This activity is designed to help students experience displacement and how they adapt to it.

Activity: While the students are at recess, dump all the things out of their desks and turn the desks and chairs over. When the students return they will be told to ask no questions, pick up as much as can be carried, and go out the door to the end of the ball field and place it in a pile. As soon as they have done that, they will be told to pick everything back up and take it and put it back in their desks. (Make sure you have an assistant available who can take any student who acts overly upset about this activity aside.)

Assessment: Were the students able to engage emotionally in the activity?

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: Students will be processing reaction to being displaced by using “Questions for Critical Thinking” based on Blooms Taxonomy.

Activity:
Level 1: (Knowledge) How would you describe what happened to you?
Level 2: (Comprehension) Will you explain in your own words how this made you feel?
Level 3: (Application) How would you apply what you have learned to explain how people or animals feel when they are moved unexpectedly to a place they are unfamiliar with?
Level 4: (Analysis) What motives could people have for doing such a thing to people or animals?
Level 5: (Synthesis) Can you predict what would happen if someone forced your family to take only what they could carry and move immediately to another location and you could do nothing about it?
Level 6: (Evaluation) How would you evaluate the experience you just had?

Assessment: Were students able to contribute to the discussion by expressing their own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others? Did the students come to logical, defendable conclusions?

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: “Half and Half” Coloring Experience

Activity: Students will be given a picture of a peacful Indian village. They will fold the picture in half and use a ruler to draw a line down the middle. They will then either choose a person, draw or imagine themselves in the picture. While they are listening to Native American Flute, by N. Carlos Nakai, they will use their best effort to color the right side of the picture. When this is finished, they will be told that the whole village is being forced to move to an unknown desitnation and there is no choice involved. Now they are to color the other side with colors that would represent how they feel about this forced move while listening to The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. Using Random Call we will process the experience.

Assessment: Were the students able to feel the emotion of the different pieces of music and transfer that to the coloring activity?

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: Using videos, field trips, a guest and the book”...If You Lived with the Cherokee” students will learn from basic information about the Cherokee Indians.

Activity: A video about the Cherokee will be shown. An adult dressed as Sequoya will visit the classroom and present his story to the students. Students will be divided into groups. Each student will lead out in teaching a different section the to book, “...If You Lived with the Cherokee,” to the other students. They will be encouraged to use different structures and strategies to accomplish this.
There will be a camping trip and attendance to the performance UNTO THESE HIILLS, a live re-enactment of the story behind the Cherokee “Trail of Tears”. Visit a Museum with a Cherokee Indian display.

Assessment: Was there equal participation in teaching activities, active participation and processing of trips and activities?

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: Students will use Rally Coach to review for quizzes. Showdown will be used to study for the test. They will do worksheets that accompany the video. Students will practice teh Cherokee alphabet.

Activity: There will be 10 different sections of information presented by the student groups. At the end of each section students will use Rally Coach to practice for the quizzes and then take the quiz. At the end of all 10 sections, we will use Showdown to practice for the test. The quizzes and test will be on three different levels. The worksheets that accompnay the Nest video will also be used. We will practice using the Cherokee alphabet while Sequoah is still here. (Rally Coach and Showdown are Kagen CL strategies.)

Assessment: Did students exhibit comprehension of material covered?

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: Students will use the internet to find a Frequently Asked Question and a traditional tale of the Cherokee Nation to present.

Activity: Students will use the internet to go to teh Cherokee Nation Website. They will then choose a Frequently Asked Question to present to the class. They will laso use the internet to find and choose a traditional Cherokee tale. They will then prepare a skit, puppet presentation, self-made video, scrapbook pcitures, original song, or other creative way of their choise to present their information about the traditional tale to the class. The FAQ’s will be prepared in colorful ways so they may be posted on the wall for all to see.

Assessment: Was a choice made and a plan formulated?

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: Students will interact with teacher and each other, discuss progress, ask for input and exchange ideas.

Activity: Students will have the opportunity to discuss their choices, explain their goals, and get input from others so they can feel good about their progress and get non cricital clarification to help them make adaptations that will ensure the success they are striving for.

Assessment: Did students make proper presentations, prepare materials and finish the project for presentation?

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: First, the FAQ’s will be shared and posted on the wall. Then there will be a presentation of the traditional tales to the school group. There will also be a presentation at the Home and School meeting. Presentation of Frequently Asked Questions and Traditional Tales.

Activity: First, the FAQ’s will be shared and posted on the wall. Next, there will be a presentation of the traditional tales to the school group. At the next Home and School meeting these will be shared with parents and friends. If it is possible, a Cherokee Native American speaker should discuss adapting to modern culture while still maintaining traditional beliefs and culture. This could be done in person or videoed.

Assessment: Did target audience respond in a positive way to the presentations? Did the student feel fulfilled and successful because of involvement in this project?

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: